Peasant bread to feed the masses,
millers stone between the classes
Grovel here and grovel there,
crumbs for beggars—no meat to share
Caught inside the rising dough,
leavened voices cry out low
Baking deep within the flames,
bribes that lie—and Lords to blame
With each slice cut, Hell calls a name,
its coals to brand, ignoble fame
Bread for the masses, meat off the bone,
revenge on fire—the Devil’s throne
(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)
The Rim
Living along the ledges,
life is about the edges
The meaning sharpens and cuts
—the higher you go
(Bryn Mawr College: August, 2014)
Transubstantiation
When one man is cut
—every man starts to bleed
When one man is healed
—all men become as one
(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2014)
Dying Legions
Training the enemy within,
universities soldier on
Unchecked and unaccountable
They march to the beat of the
government drum
Tearing us apart from the inside
While Rome burns
—and Legionnaires die
(Villanova Pennsylvania: August, 2014)
The Vineyard
Heaven leaks the truth
to writers who thirst
The drip of each word,
filling line after line
All meaning distills,
when the words press together
The pages a vineyard
—as water becomes wine
(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)